WikiLeaks about to hit the fan

It occurred to me to reply to Spendius
in an obliquely light-hearted, frivolous way about the content of his post
(altho, in real life I have always been HORRIFIED and scandalized by that practice),
but it occurs to me that if I were jaunty or impish in my response,
that might well result in a very permanent capital punishment from A2K,
not necessarily from Spendius himself, but from any member who read my post.

That constitutes a very serious criticism of A2K which I don't think is justified.
I hope it is not an excuse for an inability to be jaunty or impish.

Canada leads North America in economic freedom, tied with Australia for fifth spot globally; U.S. sinks to 18th in international rankings
Release Date: September 18, 2012

TORONTO, ON—Canada is among the top five most economically free countries in the world, well ahead of the United States which has fallen to 18th overall, according to the Fraser Institute’s annual Economic Freedom of the World report.

Canada, with an economic freedom score of 7.97 out of 10, tied with Australia to rank fifth out of 144 nations and territories included in the Economic Freedom of the World: 2012 Annual Report. Last year, Canada ranked sixth overall.

"Canada’s relatively high level of economic freedom has resulted in stronger economic growth, higher income levels, and less pain from the global recession," said Fred McMahon, Fraser Institute vice-president of international policy research.

"Meanwhile, other nations embraced heavy-handed regulation and extensive over-spending in response to the American and European debt crises. Consequently, their levels of economic freedom decreased."

The United States, long considered a champion of economic freedom among large industrial nations, continues its protracted decline in the global rankings. This year, the U.S. plunged to 18th, its lowest-ever ranking and a sharp drop from second overall, the position it held in 2000. Much of this decline is a result of high spending on the part of the U.S. government.

2008-12 is only 1/3 of 2000-12.

I think that all this empty boasting about how free we all are contributes to a loss of freedom.
It is complaisant. It sits there tweeting whilst our freedoms are eroded.

No matter how free we are we should be forever complaining about how un-free we are.

That's quite amusing Dave for anyone who has read Veblen's Absentee Ownership and is familiar with Minderbinder's dictum about us all having a share and Henry Miller's obsession with the Uroboros symbolism.

Still waiting for the end of governmental secrecy promised by Wikileaks devotees in this very thread.

I guess it will arrive when Middle Eastern democracy flourishes as a result of the Arab Spring,

He probably forgot that middle east democracy was effectively extinguished in the 1953 contrived ouster of Iran's democratically elected (and Time Man of the Year) Doctor Mahommed Mossedegh.

Not Finn, Builder, you must be mistaking him for someone else. Finn is much too honest to ever do something like that.

Then maybe he forgot the Iran-Contra affair? Or the Bay of Pigs? Or operation Northwoods?

Surely such an honest man can't be expected to remember everything?

In this Finn is hardly alone. As you might have noticed, there is a general reluctance among the American folks to deal honestly, or even dishonestly, with any of these events.